The eighth episode of the NHK Taiga drama "BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）" (General TV, Sunday 8pm and others), starring actor Nakano Taiga, titled "Suminomata Ichiyajo" was broadcast on March 1st, and viewers were drawn to the child actor who played Nao (Shiraishi Sei) as a child.
"BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）" is the 65th taiga drama. It depicts the miracle of the Toyotomi brothers, Hidenaga (Koichiro) and his older brother Hideyoshi (Tōkichirō), who achieve the great feat of unifying the country with their strong bond. It is a success story of hope and dreams, depicting the rise to power.
The script is written by Hiroyuki Yatsu, known for "Naoki Hanzawa" (TBS) and the Asadora"Ochoyan." The music is by Hideaki Kimura, and the narrator is Sakura Ando, an actor.
In the eighth episode, Koichiro (Nakano) and his men march to Sunomata. However, Nobunaga's (Shun Oguri) true target is not Sunomata, but the northern castle guarded by Ando Moriyasu (Tetsushi Tanaka), one of the Mino Three.
Tōkichirō (Ikematsu) embarks on a grand plan to build a fortress in Sunomata, knowing that it will be a sacrificial pawn to divert the attention of Saitō Tatsuoki (Hamada Tatsuomi), the lord of Mino Province, from his northern castle. Meanwhile, Nao returns to Nakamura to seek permission to marry Koichiro. Surprisingly, she is warmly welcomed by his father, Kizaemon (Okura Koji), but...
Nao is tricked by Kizaemon and locked in the storehouse. Though he is angry at his father, memories come back to him. Kizaemon scolds him harshly for playing in the storehouse, but when a shelf falls on Nao, it is Kizaemon who risks his own life to save him.
In this flashback, Nao's childhood is played by child actress Sena Izumiya. She is 8 years old and was born on June 15, 2017. She has been cast in a string of popular dramas, including "Old Rookie" (TBS, 2022), "My Favorite Flower" (Fuji TV, 2023), and "Alice in the Kitchen" (Nippon TV, 2024), and gained popularity for her role as Kai Nagumo in "The Beginning of the Sea" (Fuji TV, 2024).
This marks Hoshina's third appearance in a taiga drama, following "Aoi Tono o Tsuke" (2021) and "The 13 Lords of the Shogun" (2022). Viewers responded on social media with comments such as, "Hey, I've seen this child actor before!!", "Nao's childhood is the child from Umi's Beginning...", "This girl!", "Umi-chan", and "Is Nao's child actor Rana-chan?". Comments also included, "Nao-chan the child actor was so cute", "Nao's child actor had the vibe of Shiraishi Sei", "Nao's child actor looks just like Shiraishi Sei", and "Nao's child actor looks so much like her it's scary".
